Small Brisket time question

Hey guys,

I am getting ready to smoke my first brisket and it is a small one (~2lb flat). Will the cooking time be significantly less? I am just trying to figure out what time to start it to have it for dinner the next day. It is probably ~2 1/4" thick, just a small cut.

That’s not a lot of mass, I would think it will go relatively quickly but, those may be construed as “famous last words”!
At ~2 lb. I’d be surprised if it took more that three or four hours tops.
I’m sure someone more experienced in this will ring in so, you have all the information I can share.
Good luck.

For what it's worth here's the result of 3 cooks. 5.5 lbs. at 225 - 8 hrs. 2 lbs at 250 - 3.5 hrs. 3.8 lbs at 240 - 7.5 hrs. My 2 pounder is right in there on Timothy's estimate BUT it still depends on time, cooker temp, and that individual piece of meat.

We often talk about time for a cook and don't mention cooker temp. and I don't believe you can talk about time without both numbers.

Cook time for partial brisket flats at X chamber temp are based on thickness, not on weight. It's quite possible that a 2lb flat that is 2 inches thick will take just as long to cook as a 6lb flat that is also 2 inches thick.

I agree with Dave. Size and shape matter. Troy, were you planning to run it at 250-275F in the cooker? I think it really ought to be done before the 4 hour mark. But some briskets are stubborn and can take much longer. I think it depends on the amount of collagen in the meat and sometimes I think, purely out of superstition, that an unhappy cow cooks badly. I sometimes blame a bad tasting brisket on a poor quality of life.

If it is just a flat, my inclination is to run it at a lower temperature as such a small brisket tends to dry out so maybe keeping it low will help. However, there are just as many cooks who will tell you to run it hot so I really don't know. Just spray after the crust is set. Good luck!

Fwiw, the moisture in a brisket comes from the breakdown of the connective tissue and rendering the collagen. Presuming you have good heat deflection, cooking at a higher temp won't hurt anything and will help get through the stall quicker. That said, there's nothing wro g with running at 225ish, just be prepared for it to take some time.